iTribute: The Loss of a True Visionary

I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I was only recently an Apple convert (that’s practically a sin in the design world).  That’s right; for the majority of my life, I was a PC girl (gasp).  For one reason or another, I refused to join the Apple revolution.  I finally decided to give in this year and purchased my first MacBook Pro + iPhone.  I cannot describe the elation I felt when I opened my first iGadgets for the very first time.  As you’ve probably guessed by now, I haven’t looked back since.  I can truly say that becoming an Apple user has meant a whole new way of living.  As a consumer and a designer, I am blown away by the technology that I now use on a daily basis.  How did I design on a normal screen?  What did I do before I had an iPhone?  Seriously?!  One of my dear friends is a fervent Apple fanatic and I marvel at his love for iProducts.  And of course, he’s not the only Apple fanatic I know.  More than anything, I am amazed at how one person can create something that can incite that much excitement and cause people to wait in line for hours for the latest iGadget.

I am a proud Apple user, and until this afternoon, I never gave it much more thought than that.  Like many others today, I was shocked and saddened when I heard that Steve had finally lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer.The truth is, I am in complete and utter awe at his genius.  I am dumbstruck by the impact that he was able to leave in his short 56 years of living.  The ideas he created, nourished, and gave birth to.  The ground-breaking technology that has penetrated our lives and fundamentally changed the way we look at things.  The countless people he has no doubt inspired, first and foremost at Apple, Inc.  Apple is not just a company, it is an empire.  And Steve was certainly their fearless leader.  For those lucky enough to work with him and in his presence, I am truly sorry for your loss.

As a designer, I will remember Steve as more than just the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.  It is humbling, intimidating, and ultimately inspiring to know that I lived during a time when Steve changed the world with things that he created.  He took risks that others would not have taken, he went down paths of uncertainty, he tried things that no one would have even considered, he showed people what can be created with hard work and innovation.  So for that, I’d like to say thank you.  Thank you, Steve.  Although I didn’t know you, you will always be proof to me that the impossible is possible.  You have shown me and countless others that design and innovation can make a difference, that we all have the potential to really leave a mark in this world.  Thank you for showing us that it’s OK to think differently.  Thank you for showing the world that beauty and amazing functionality can coexist.  Thank you for making it cool to be a geek.

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.“  -Steve Jobs

-Written on my glorious MacBook